8 “I am the A and the Z,” says the Lord God, the one who is, the one who was, and the one who is coming, the Almighty.
9 I am John, your brother. I share your suffering, ruling, and endurance because of Jesus. I was ⌊exiled⌋ on the island of Patmos because of God’s word and the testimony about Jesus.
10 I came under the Spirit’s power on the Lord’s day. I heard a loud voice behind me like a trumpet,
11 saying, “Write on a scroll what you see, and send it to the seven churches: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”
12 I turned toward the voice which was talking to me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lamp stands.
13 There was someone like the Son of Man among the lamp stands. He was wearing a robe that reached his feet. He wore a gold belt around his waist.
14 His head and his hair were white like wool—like snow. His eyes were like flames of fire.